Advantages of Green Printing
Be it our professional life or personal, there are plenty of times when we need to print certain documents, leaflets or brochures for reference purpose. With the advance in digital and web technology, creating a paperless office is on the roll; and in such times, green printing has simply taken the market by storm. Be it the multinationals or the do-good companies, large corporations or activist groups, all are making an undying effort to go green by purchasing greener products or services.
Now what is green printing ! Green printing is not printing on a green color paper 
, its about nature friendly printing to save trees and environment.
Green printing techniques are also quite noteworthy. It mostly makes use of vegetable or soy-based ink instead of heavy metal based inks used in regular printing. Green printing also benefits our environment in more ways than one. It recycles all the paper waste and offers 100% recycled paper stocks for most of the printed products.
The global warming threat has changed the outlook in which the corporate and the individuals have started treating the environment. They have also started planning wisely for green printing and have adopted a number of ways to do so:
- Choosing paper and inks that are environment-affordable.
- Choosing paper that is chlorine free.
- Working with providers or vendors that make use of renewable energy resources.
- Avoiding any kind of coatings or varnishes that will prevent the object from being recycle-friendly in the near future.
If you have intended to help Mother Nature in some way or the other, going for green printing is one of the best alternatives available. 
Construction solutions to environmental problems
Today I came across a nice site – Geo-solutions.com and I thought I would write a review about their services. Geo-Solutions provide a number of services for construction and civil engineering projects that involve groundwater and soil problems. Geo Solutions provide the latest specialty excavating machinery, with attachments to carry out on site pumping and soil and slurry mixing.
Groundwater
Groundwater can pose a serious problem to construction and engineering projects, and Geo-Solutions provide a number of practical and cost effective methods for groundwater barriers including:
- Slurry cut-off walls – these barriers are not part of the structure or design of the site project, but are installed underground for the specific purpose of controlling the flow of groundwater.
- Biopolymer drains – these are also known as a ’slurry trench’ or ‘French drain’, and offer a quick and affordable way to control groundwater drainage and leachate collection.
- Permeable reactive barriers – this new technology offers an effective, affordable way to control contaminated groundwater issues, and can be installed without the need for expensive and time consuming mass excavation or pump and treat methods. Reactive barriers treat contaminated groundwater by ISCR (In situ Chemical Reduction).
Soil Problems
Construction and engineering projects may encounter significant soil problems that need to be solved before further works can continue, and Geo-Solutions provide a number of ground improvement and soil stabilization services including grouting and dynamic soil compaction:
- In situ soil mixing – this technology is also known as auger mixing, rotary mixing and cement soil mixing, and is used to create structural bases for foundations, retaining walls and groundwater containment, and is also used in conjunction with chemical reagents for treatment of contaminated waste.
- Deep soil compaction – this is used to change the properties of existing rock and soil, to improve ground support for foundations and prevent damage from earthquakes and subsidence.
- Jet Grouting – grouting is ejected in high pressured jets, and this has a number of uses including eroding and replacing grout, soil and rock, and mixing cement and soils. Jet grouting can be used to treat all kinds of soils from soft clays through to compacted gravel, and provides a quick and easy way to grout below buried foundations and utilities.
Geo Solutions also provide a professional design mix service, which will evaluate the individual site environment and develop the most compatible the material mix and job requirements before practical application begins.
Tips for Greener Travel
Public transport
Public transport is cheap, easy to use and efficient, and can take you almost anywhere you need to go. As a general rule buses are cheaper than trains for longer journeys, but do take much more time to arrive at their destinations as
they take many detours to pick up and drop off passengers along the route. Subways systems are the quickest and cheapest ways to travel around major cities, and you can get season tickets that will make it even cheaper if you use
the routes regularly.
Hotel Rooms
Hotels generally keep their heating on all the time during cooler weather, which can be too warm sometimes if it has been a mild day, so you can make your stay greener by turning down your radiator at night and making sure the
television and electricity appliances are off when you leave the room. Also make sure you take your own toiletries with you and avoid using the mini soaps and shampoos provided as these cannot be reused and will just be thrown away when the maid cleans your room.
Waste
Always put any waste you have when travelling in the nearest public bin, or carry it with you until you find somewhere to dispose of it properly. Try and use rechargeable batteries for your camera and other equipment where
possible.
Support Local Trade
If you stop anywhere during your stay then instead of buying food from supermarkets try and use local farmers markets or store to help support the local economy and save on food miles.
Be Greener – Buy Local
We are all responsible for the area we live in, and this means supporting local businesses to ensure there are jobs and futures for all our communities. Buying local can also be a much greener way of living, as huge amounts of pollution is caused by transporting food around the world, and a lot of the produce in your nearest supermarket including cheese, meat and fruit will have travelled hundreds of miles to get to the shelf.
Local Farmers Markets
Farmers markets are growing in popularity in the UK, and you can find excellent produce from the local area in most cities and towns these days. Vegetables can even be cheaper from these markets, and have a much longer shelf life as they are fresh, and haven’t been in transit for days before they get to you. Meat from farmers markets is often a lot more expensive, because the animals are not commercially produced, but instead raised using more traditional and sometimes more organic methods. If you are worried about the extra cost then try to choose the cheaper cuts of meat such as braising steak, breast of lamb etc, which need to be cooked more slowly but result in tasty, filling meals.
Vegetable Boxes
Many organic fruit and vegetable producers have box services, which will deliver an assortment of seasonal vegetables to your door each week. Not only is this a good way to support you local businesses and save on food miles, it is also an excellent way of introducing new vegetables into your diet and eating more healthily. 
Green Tips for Computer Users
Here are few tips for computer users to make their computing environment green :
Printers
Only buy colour printers if you really need them, and try to avoid big fancy printers with lots of features, as these can use much more electricity than simple models, and can be expensive to fix if they go wrong. Only print off documents when absolutely necessary, and use recycled printer paper. You can buy recycled toner, but this is not always as eco-friendly and cheap as you might think, and can be very inferior to new cartridges (often leaking releasing the toxic ink chemicals), so really it makes sense to buy a good quality toner cartridge and use the printer less often.
Update RAM
RAM speed is what makes you computer perform quickly, and older computers that are very slow can often be revitalised by simply upgrading the RAM. This means you can use your old unit for longer, saving you from
having to throw away something that still works, and will also mean you can get things done quicker, so you spend less time at the computer and save electricity.
Monitors
If you have a small monitor (that still works) and are thinking of upgrading to a larger screen, then consider using the F11 key first, which will give you a full screen view, (minus task and tool bars). This means that you will have a
larger view of what you are working on (hit F11 again to return to normal). Also if you are working in Microsoft Word, Excel or PowerPoint you can magnify the page view to make words and numbers larger and easier to see.
Always switch your computer off when you have finished, and avoid leaving on ‘sleep’ or ‘standby’ to save electricity.
Tips on How to Be More Eco Friendly
Small changes to your lifestyle can make you and your family much ‘greener’ and every little bit helps when it comes to changing attitudes towards issues such as global warming and pollution. Here are a few green tips that are easy to implement, and could actually save you money as well.
Drinks Cans
Soft drinks such as cola, lemonade and orangeade often come in aluminium cans that are easy and cost effective to recycle. Many UK high streets now have separate can bins, so look out for these or take the cans home with you to put in your own recycling bin.
Local Shops
If you have a shop within walking distance, invest in some strong bags and walk there to get small essentials such as milk and bread. This saves fuel and carbon pollution, and is also much less stressful than navigating around the supermarket when you only want a few things.
Freeze it
If you need to drive quite far to get to your nearest supermarket or farm shop, then limit your trips to around once a week, and buy enough that you can freeze and use during the meantime to save fuel and reduce your carbon footprint.
Save Fuel
Every time you go out to your car, think very carefully whether the trip is necessary or not. If you use your car to go to work, see if there are any car sharing opportunities at work, or have a look at using public transport or even waking or cycling if it is not too far.
